Reducing unnecessary laboratory testing can improve inpatient satisfaction and lower hospital costs, according to an article published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Excessive testing creates a large amount of financial waste, and repeat blood draws associated with such tests can cause hospital-acquired anemia, among other complications.
The article's authors cited several studies in which healthcare providers reduced orders for lab tests by 8 to 19 percent, translating to between $600,000 and more than $2 million in annual savings. After reviewing past studies and lab testing reduction initiatives, the authors developed an evidence-based quality improvement blueprint to help healthcare providers lower unnecessary testing.
Here are three strategies included in the blueprint.
- Develop hospitalwide educational initiatives that use data to outline and standardize best practices.
- Set a quantitative goal for reducing lab test ordering. Show clinicians their personal ordering patterns, so they can benchmark their own habits against best practices.
- Update the electronic systems used for ordering tests to restrict the number of preordered tests, ensuring tests are only being ordered out of necessity rather than habit.
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